Web roll pick-up and supporting apparatus



Oct. 9, 1962 c. AARON ETAL 3,057,571

I WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Q (WA/915.5 4/1/60 BY Mom/w EOC/(JTWM c. AARON ETAL 3,057,571 WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 9, 1962 Filed June 29, 1959 Li n INVENTORS. AARON ATTOEA/EV Oct. 9, 1962 c. AARON ETAL WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 NA E M Um M 5 Tkw mm, sa

L W 0 mm Y B Arne/115V Oct. 9, 1962 WEB Filed June 29, 1959 I c. AARON ETAL ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS Y LEONARD BOG/(6750M AUTOEME/ Oct. 9, 1962 C. AARON ETAL WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TORS C/M/E ES 4%80/1/ BY AMA/4&0 EOCKSTkO/i l ATTOE/U Oct. 9, 1962 c. AARON ETAL WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS:

AITOEA/V Oct. 9, 1962 c. AARON ETAL 3,057,571

WEB ROLL PICK-UP AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 I 2% 23a I I a" W I I I s/zoaa A 414 l I]! U Z 78a I I ZZZ J 5:: O 3 224 l|| Z40 224 J64] ZZO 'ZZ 5Z4 2'20 Ja.

T 5.3. l l

INVENTORS.

CHARLES 4/920 BY LEON/4E0 P06765701 United States Patent Ofifice 3,057,571 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,957,571 WEB RQLL PICEQUF AND SUPPORTING APPARATUS Charles Aaron, West Qaidweli, and Leonard Rockstrom,

Madison, N.J., assignors to Cameron Machine Company, Dover, N1, a corporation of New York Filed June 29, 1959, Ser. No. 823,588 Claims. (Ci. 242--53.6}

This invention relates to apparatus which picks up a roll of web material such as, for example, paper or plastic web material (hereinafter referred to merely as a mill roll) and holds that roll while web material is drawn therefrom into a slitting machine, or a printing press or other related machine for processing the web material (hereinafter referred to merely as a related machine).

An important object of this invention is the provision of such apparatus having improved means for properly orienting a mill roll, supported by the apparatus, with reference to a related machine.

Another important object is the provision in such apparatus of improved means for centering a mill roll upon an elongate torque member which rotates to a limited extent in picking up a mill roll; such centering being desirable to equalize strains toward opposite ends of the torque member and also to bring the mill roll into approximate alignment with a related matchine.

Another important object is the provision in such apparatus of an improved arrangement of bearing bed assemblies at opposite ends of the apparatus enabling all parts of the apparatus excepting said bearing bed assemblies to be shifted either longitudinally or angularly to perfectly orient the apparatus to a related machine.

Another important object is the provision in such apparatus of an arrangement which substantially minimizes the amount of lift which must be given to a mill roll in picking it up and moving it to a supported position.

Another important object is the provision in such apparatus of improved means for turning such an elongate torque member to swing mill-roll holding arms associated with said member from a lower or pick-up position to an upper or supporting position.

Another important object is the provision in such apparatus of mill-roll supporting arms so designed and associated with such an elongate torque member as to withstand very substantial strains imposed upon said arms toward their free ends, while greatly minimizing frictional wear at points where said arms are slidably associated with the elongate torque member.

Another important object is the provision of such apparatus which is relatively simple in design and operation and less costly to produce than comparable prior apparatus designed for similar purposes.

The foregoing and other objects, which will be more or less apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, are realized by this invention of which two preferred of various possible embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings without, however, limiting the invention to those particular embodiments.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of said first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top, plan view of said first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a somewhat less enlarged, horizontal, sectional view substantially on the line 55 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary View of a portion of said first preferred embodiment showing a mill-roll brake in elevation in association with an end of a roll-supporting arm which is shown in longitudinal section.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 6, as viewed from the left side of the latter figure.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view substantially on the line 8-8 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a front, elevational view substantially similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating a second preferred embodiment of this invention; certain parts being broken away in this figure to show details.

FIG. 10 is a horizontal, sectional view substantially on the line 1tl-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a vertical, transverse, sectional view substantially on the line 11-41 of FIG. 9.

The first embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 18 inclusive, comprises as its principal parts a horizontal, elongate, torque member 20, substantially similar bearing blocks 22, 22a suitably supporting said torque member at the latters end journals 24, a stationary bed comprising bed assemblies 26 and 28 located, respectively, toward the left and right ends of said torque member, on which assemblies the bearing blocks 22 are shiftably supported, opposed similar mill-roll holding arms 30 secured upon said torque member for longitudinal sliding thereon, armactuating means, indicated generally at 32 in FIG. 5 as an endless chain arrangement, for oppositely sliding the arms 30 in unison along torque member 20, similar braking means 34 at the extremities of the arms 30 for exerting a braking effect upon a mill roll 36 to control the payout of web material from the latter, motor means 38 (shown as a suitable hydraulic rotary motor) for limitedly turning torque member 20 about its axis to enable that member, in conjunction with arms 30 thereon, to pick up a mill roll 36 at a lower or pick-up position, shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, and swing that roll upwardly to a supporting position, as shown in full lines in FIG. 1. The apparatus also includes shifting means 40 associated with bed assembly 26, and shifting means 42 associated with bed assembly 28, adapted to shift the entire apparatus, excepting said bed assemblies, longitudinally and angularly in a horizontal plane.

For convenience, the said horizontally shiftable part of the apparatus is referred to generally as the pick-up mechanism. The details of the various means and parts just generally recited, and certain other details, are more fully hereinafter described.

FIG. 8 discloses certain features of bed assembly 28. The latter includes a bed portion 44, suitably fixed down by bolts 45 upon a concrete foundation or other suitable floor surface, and having an upright web 46 and a horizontal gib-like restraining and supporting member 48 integral with the web 46. Upon the bed portion 44, inwardly of web 46, is provided a horizontal series of roller bearings 50 suitably retained in relation to each other by retainers 52. The bearings 50 are arranged with their axes extending forwardly and rearwardly of the bed portion 44, and are retained against endwise movement by the web 46 and a retaining plate 54 suitably fixed on the back of the bed portion 44. This plate extends upwardly beyond the bearings 50 sufficiently to cooperate with the web 46 to guide therebetween a horizontal floating plate '56 which rests upon the bearings 50, thereby being afforded permissible horizontal movement transversely of the axes of said bearings.

Stops or other movement-limiting means (not shown) are provided at opposite sides of the bed portion 44 to limit the extent to which the floating plate 56 may roll upon the bearings 50, the movement thus limited being approximately the same as the longitudinal movement which may be imparted to the elongate torque member as hereinafter explained.

The bearing block 22, within which is supported the right end journal 24 of the torque member 20, is fixedly mounted upon a shiftable saddle 58 and, as fragmentarily shown in FIG. 8, a lip 60 of said saddle is disposed with a sliding fit between a rear extension 62 of the member 48 and the upper surface of the floating plate 56. The rear end of the saddle 58 is supported similarly by a bed and roller-bearing arrangement like the one just described.

The bed assembly 26 at the left end of the mechanism differs from the right-end bed assembly 28, just detailed, chiefly in that it is longer to accommodate thereon not only the bearing block 22a at the left end of the mechanism but also the motor means 38. Thus, in bed assembly 26, longer series of roller bearings are provided and plates (not visible in the drawings) corresponding to plates 56 are longer. A saddle 64, also, is longer than saddle 58.

The saddles 58 and 64 are preferably tied rigidly together by rigid front and rear tie-bars 66, the ends of which are Welded or otherwise suitably fixed rigidly to the two saddles 58 and 64. Thus, the saddles 58, 64, tie bars 66 and bearing blocks 22, 22a constitute a unitary stand which supports the torque member and the arms carried thereby. It will be noted that the described bed and roller-bearing arrangement enables the entire pick-up mechanism to be shifted longitudinally to a limited extent. Also, as hereinafter detailed, one end of the pick-up mechanism may be slid forwardly and rearwardly on plates 56, thereby enabling said mechanism to be shifted angularly to a limited extent. These provisions for longitudinal and angular shifting of the pick-up mechanism in a horizontal plane permit said mechanism and a mill roll carried thereby to be precisely oriented with respect to a related machine.

To provide for the just-mentioned longitudinal shifting of the pick-up mechanism, the saddle 64 is pivotally connected at its outer end, by means of a turnbuckle 68, to a fixed support 70 which is suitably fixed, rigidly, upon a concrete foundation or other suitable floor surface, and spaced somewhat from the left end of said saddle. The outer end of bolt or screw member 72 of the turnbuckle is suitably mounted upon the support 70 for permissible rotation, but against material endwise movement. By means of a handwheel 74 fixed upon the outer end of the screw member 72, the latter may be turned to shorten or lengthen the connection provided by the turnbuckle 68, thereby causing movement of the interconnected saddles 58 and 64 endwisely of the apparatus and a corresponding endwise movement of the pick-up mechanism.

The left end of the saddle 64 is formed with a slot 76 into or through which extends a vertical pin 78 fixed into and depending from a crossbar 80 which is rigidly secured upon front and rear bed portions 44:: of the bed assembly 26. The mentioned slot-and-pin arrangement serves to hold the outer end of saddle 64 centered between the front and the back of the bed assembly 26 while, nevertheless, permitting the mentioned longitudinal shifting of said saddle as just explained. As will be hereinafter explained, the saddle 64, under certain conditions, may shift angularly about pin 78 to a slight extent; therefore, to avoid interference with such angular shifting, the connection of the turnbuckle 68 to the saddle 64 is preferably a pivotal connection and the mounting of the outer end of the screw member 72, similarly, is such as to permit slight pivoting of the turnbuckle in relation to the support 70. In FIG. 3, gibs 82 are shown as fastened by screws 84 upon bed portion 44a as a possible alternative to the provision of integral extensions such as are disclosed herein as portions 62 of the bed portion 44 of bed assembly 28 illustrated in FIG. 8.

Limited angular shifting of the pick-up mechanism in a horizontal plane is made possible by providing substantial clearances both forwardly and rearwardly of saddle 58. Such clearances are shown at 86 and 87 in FIG. 8 at the front of said saddle, and similar clearances are provided at the rear of saddle 58 and at the front and 4 rear of saddle 64. Such angular shifting of the pick-up mechanism is accomplished by the precisely controllable shifting means 42 (similar in principle to means 40) for shifting the saddle 58 forwardly and rearwardly within the limits permitted by said clearances.

The shifting means 42 comprise a screw 88 borne in a bearing 90 (FIG. 8) in a bearingblock 92 suitably fixed down upon the supporting member 48. The screw 88, while rotatable in the bearing 90, is, nevertheless, held against endwise movement therein by collars 94 suitably fixed upon said screw by set-screws 96 at opposite sides of said bearing. A handwheel 98, preferably with a handle 100 thereon, is fixed upon the forward end of the screw 88 to permit manual operation of the latter. The rearward end of the screw 88 is threaded into the forward end of a slide bar 162 which is guided within guide straps 184 fixed upon stationary front and back portions of the bed assembly 28.

At or near the center of the slide bar 102 is a vertical pin 186, fixed into said bar and extending downwardly into a slot 168 located in the rightward or outer end portion of saddle 58. This slot extends longitudinally of the apparatus to permit the previously described endwise shifting of the pick-up mechanism, while the engagement of the pin 106 in said slot enables the right end of the pick-up mechanism to be shifted forwardly and rearwardly. Thus, by operation of the handwheel 98, the attitude of the pick-up mechanism and a mill roll 36 carried thereby with reference to a related machine, to which web material is to be fed from said roll, may be altered within limits to afford precise angular positioning of said roll to compensate for certain possible non-uniform conditions or characteristics of the roll.

The two mill-roll holding arms 30 are similarly mounted upon torque member 20 for sliding longitudinally on the latter in a suitable manner. One suitable way of providing such a slide mounting for the arms 30 is illustrated in FIG. 4, from which it may be seen that the lower end of arm 30 is bifurcated to provide very substantial, rigid, opposite dependencies 110 which depend about and extend along opposite sides of the torque member 20. Gibs 112, suitably fixed upon the lower ends of the dependencies 110, extend inwardly underneath opposite marginal portions of the torque member 20 to retain the arm 30 upon the torque member.

Suitable, similar bearing liners 114 are provided between inner surfaces of arm 30 and the torque member 20 to provide effective bearing means therebetween. Flat bearing liners 116 may advantageously be provided between the gibs 112 and the dependencies 110, these latter liners extending into bearing association with the mentioned marginal portions of the underside of the torque member 20. It may be observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the lower portions of the arms 30, which enter into the just-described sliding engagement with the torque member 20, are preferably of substantial dimension longitudinally of said torque member, thereby substantially distributing the frictional engagement of said arms with the torque member.

The upper or outer ends of the arms 30 are Similarly provided with chucks 118 for fixed engagement within opposite ends of the core of a mill roll 36. The chuck 118 is integral with or suitably fixed upon the inner end of a spindle 120 which is rotatable within bearings 122, 124 fixed in each arm 30, the bearing arrangement and its association with the arm 30 and the spindle 120 being such as to prevent longitudinal shifting of the latter while, nevertheless, enabling it to turn with the mill roll. The chuck 118 preferably has suitable means for constraining it against turning with the mill roll, but such constraining means are not shown as they, per se, form no part of this invention.

At the outer end of the spindle 120, preferably on each arm 30, is fixed a brake drum 126 with which brake shoes 128 engage to control rotation of the chuck 118 and,

hence, of the mill roll 36. The brake shoes 128 are retained within similar, but opposed, brake arms 130 which are separately mounted pivotally upon studs 132, suitably fixed to arm 30 at or near the latters outer end. The brake shoes 128 are urged yieldably away from braking engagement with brake drum 126 by a spring-and-bolt assembly 134 which coacts with integral extension 136 of the brake arms 130. The spring-and-bolt assembly includes a bolt having a head 140 abutting an outer face of one of the extensions 136, a shank 142 extending with a loose fit through bores 144 in the extensions 136, a coil spring 146 extending about a portion of shank 142 and compressed between an outer face of the other of the extensions 136 and a nut 148 threaded upon the end of the shank 142.

The brake shoes 128 may be urged forcefully into braking engagement with drum 126 by hydraulic or pneumatic means in the form of a fluid-pressure cylinder 150, slidably supported upon a bracket 152 on the arm 30, and pivotally fixed by an integral extension 154 to the lower end of one of the brake arms 130. A piston rcd 156, integral with a piston 158 in the cylinder 150, is pivotclly connected at its outer end to the other of brake arms 130 so that, by control of the supply of fluid to the cylinder 150, the fluid pressure in the latter serves to opera e the piston 158 to move the brake arms toward each other to establish a braking effect upon the brake drum 126 and, hence, upon a roll 36 supported between the arms 30 in the mechanism.

In order to permit a mill roll 36 to be engaged or disengaged by the arms 30, the latter are caused to slide toward or away from each other upon the torque member 20. To accomplish this sliding movement and also, as is preferable, to cause opposite movement of the arms 30 in unison, an endless chain arrangement is provided, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The chain arrangement comprises an endless sprocket chain 160, working upon idler sprocket whees 162 mounted for rotation upon suitable studs 164 which are so fixed into the upper face of torque member 20, toward opposite ends of the latter, as to hold the chain 160 in a suitably taut condition. Although not shown in relation to this embodiment, a chain-tightener assembly may be provided as shown, and hereinafter described, with respent to a modified embodiment. With the arms 30 equidistantly spaced from an approximately central point on torque member 20, said arms are similarly clamped to opposite runs of the chain 160.

Each of these two similar clamping means cOmpries an angle bracket 166, one flange of which is suitably fastened, as by screws 168, to one run of the chain 160. The other flange of the bracket 166 is suitably fixed to arm 30 by screws 170 which are threaded from the exterior of one of the dependencies 110 of said arm through a wall portion 172 of the latter and thence into said other flange of the bracket 166. By the just-described arrangement, each run of the chain 160 is secured to one of the arms 30 so that, when one arm 30 is slid longitudinally on the torque member 20 in one direction, the other arm 30 is constrained to slide in the opposite direction on the torque member.

The chain 160 could, of course, be operated by providing that one of the sprocket wheels 162 be a driven wheel. However, both said wheels, in the embodim nt being described, are idler wheels and means are provided for directly moving one of the arms 30 and thus operat ng the other of said arms through the medium of said chain. This is accomplished by fluid-pressure means (preferably hydraulic) comprising a double-acting fluid-pressure cylinder 174, one end of which is secured by a bracket 176 and screws 178 toward one end of the top face of the torque member 20. Rather conventionally disposed withl in the cylinder 174 are a piston 180 and an integral, as-

sociated piston rod 182 which extends from the packed other end of the cylinder 174 and is suitably fixed by means of a bracket 184 to an upper inner wall portion of one of the arms 30.

As may best be understood from FIG. 4, the cylinder 174, as well as the previously described sprocket-chain arrangement, is located in alignment with longitudinal recesses 186 provided in the arms 30 between the latters dependencies and above the upper face of the torque member 20. The bracket 184 may have a vertical flange 188 to which the adjacent end of the piston rod 182 is fixed by a bolt 198, and may also have a substantial body portion 192, fixed to the arm 30 at a central pcint of the latters recess 186 by means of a suitable bolt or bolts 194. By the just-described arrangement, fluid-pressure operation of the piston in the cylinder 174, in a wellunderstood manner, directly moves the arm 30 to which the piston rod 182 is connected and, through the endless chain 161 simultaneously and oppositely moves the other arm 30.

Suitable similar guards 196, shown in the form of elongate members of angular shape in cross-section, are preferably provided to overlie the two runs of the chain 160. These guards, best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, extend freely within the recesses 186 in the arms 30 and are suported at their outer ends on the torque member 20 by collars 198 and held in place by headed bolts 208 which extend downwardly through the guards 196, within the collars 198, and into elongate bars 202 which extend throughout substantially the entire length of the torque member 20 and are suitably fixed thereon in position underlying the two runs of the chain 168, whereby to serve as means for supporting said chain runs against material sagging.

In practice, the subject apparatus is installed in approximately correct, operating juxtaposition to a related machine to which the web is to pass from a mill roll 36.

In operation, a mill roll 36, intended to be picked up and supported by the apparatus, is carried by suitable transport means approximately to its position indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1. As may often occur, the thuspositioned roll 36 may not be centered precisely with respect to the arms 30; therefore, the operator, by operation, if necessary, of the pressure cylinder 174, makes certain that said arms are separated sufiiciently that the chucks 118 on each of the arms are clear of possible interference with the ends of the mill roll. Then, the motor 38 is operated to rotate the torque member 20 to bring the arms 30 down to lowered positions wherein the chucks 118 are in axial alignment with the core of the roll 36. Then, the cylinder 174 is operated to cause the arms 30 to move toward each other and to cause the chucks 118 to enter tightly into said roll core.

In the just-mentioned movement of the arms 30, the roll 36, if not previously centered with respect to the two arms 30, would be pushed longitudinally by one of those arms to such a centered position. After the mentioned tight engagement of the chucks 118 within the core of the mill roll 36, the motor 38 is again operated, but in the opposite direction, to rotate the torque member 20 and thus raise the arms 30 up to and, preferably, slightly beyond a vertical position.

It may quite frequently be found that when the mill roll 36 is thus held in its uppermost position in which the web material will pass from said roll to a related machine, the mill roll may not be perfectly centered with respect to the portion of the related machine to which the web is to be fed; and it frequently may also be found that the mill roll, although approximately parallel with the roll of a related machine to which the web may be fed, may require to be cocked slightly with respect to the lat ter roll to enable the web to be fed thereto without material wrinkling of the web along one or both its side edges, or perhaps to suppress or compensate for irregularities in the web on the mill roll.

If it is desired to center the mill roll 36 with respect 7 to a portion of a related machine or, i.e., to shift the mill roll to a limited extent longitudinally, such shifting is easily and precisely accomplished by suitable manual rotation of the handwheel 74, the direction of desired shifting of the roll 36 being, of course, determinative of the direction of rotation of said wheel.

If cocking of the mill roll 36 in a horizontal plane is desired to prevent or compensate for irregularities in the web or mill roll, manual rotation of the handwheel 98 will cause the right end of the pick-up mechanism, but not the left end thereof, to shift forwardly or rearwardly, depending upon the direction of rotation given to said handwheel. More particularly, when the handwheel 98 is operated, the slide bar 102 slides forwardly or rearwardly, under which condition the vertical pin 106 in said slide bar and engaged within slot 108 causes the saddle 58 to slide forwardly or rearwardly on the plates 56. Obviously, this forward or rearward sliding of the right end of the pick-up mechanism can be very precise and will serve to cock the roll 36 to the precise position in which it will best feed web to the related machine.

The second embodiment of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, is similar in principle to the described first embodiment but dilfers therefrom chiefly with respect to means for sliding the pick-up mechanism longitudinally, means for rotating the torque member to achieve a roll pick-up operation, braking means, and in the provision of chain-tightening means.

In the second embodiment, the means for turning torque member 200 comprises similar, straight-line operating, double-acting, fluid-pressure cylinders 212 and operatively related parts at opposite ends of the pick-up mechanism, rather than the rotary hydraulic motor provided for that purpose in the first embodiment. Thus, at opposite ends of the pick-up mechanism are provided similar stands 214, within bearing bosses 216 of which are suitably borne the end journals of the torque member a. The stands 214 are rigidly interconnected at their lower ends by rigid tie-bars 218 toward the front and rear of the apparatus.

No separate saddles are provided for the stands 214 but, instead, the latter are provided toward their lower ends with forwardly and rearwardly extending flanges 220, which, as best seen in FIG. 11, rest slidably on floating plates 56a and below inwardly extending lips or extensions 222 which are integral parts of bed assemblies 224 at opposite ends of the apparatus. Suitable clearances 226 are provided between the bed assemblies 224 and the lower portions of the stands 214 so that the stands 214 may slide forwardly and rearwardly on the plates 56a at one end of the pick-up mechanism and angularly at the other end of said mechanism in the same way in which the saddles 58 and 64 slide on the plates 56 in the first embodiment. Roller-bearing means similar to those described with reference to the first embodiment are provided underneath the plates 56a.

The similar fluid-pressure cylinders 212 are similarly mounted within each of the stands 214, each being pivotally supported at its upper end by a pivot pin 228 suitably retained within bosses 230, 232 and 234 at the upper end of stand 214. Connected with a piston 236 in cylinder 212 is a piston rod 238 which extends through a packed lower end of the cylinder 212 and is pivotally connected at its lower end to an actuating arm 240 which may be integral with the torque member 20a or rigidly fixed upon the adjacent end of that member.

Fluid lines 242 and 244 are connected to opposite ends of the cylinder 212 and to suitable valve means and a suitable pressure-fluid source (neither of which is shown), so that introduction of fluid into one end of cylinder 212, accompanied by exhaustion of fluid from the other end of said cylinder in a well-understood manner, causes operation of the piston 236 and, consequently, rotation of the torque member 20a in opposite directions, depending upon the direction of flow given to the fluid in the lines 242 and 244.

In the second embodiment, as a different type of brake, shown at 210, is employed on each of the arms 300, but, as the differences in the brakes in the two embodiments do not constitute patentable variations of this invention, the brakes 210 are not described in detail.

As best shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the left end of the pick-up assembly is shiftable forwardly and rearwardly upon the plates 56a by handwheel and screw means which are similar in principle to the shifting means 42 of the first embodiment, differing therefrom chiefly in that screw 246, operated by handwheel 98a, is threaded directly into the left stand 214 so that manual operation of the wheel 98a will result in forward and rearward shifting of the left end of the pick-up mechanism to achieve the desired cocking of the roll 36, as mentioned in connection with the description of the operation of the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the means for shifting the pick-up mechanism longitudinally is in the form of a double-acting fluid-pressure cylinder 211, pivotally connected at its back end to a bracket 213, rigidly mounted upon a concrete foundation or other suitable floor surface, and having therein a piston 215, a piston rod 217 connected to said piston and extending through a suitably packed front end of said cylinder, the front end of said rod being pivotally connected to a bracket 219 fixed to the pick-up mechanism. Tubes 221 and 223 are provided at opposite ends of the cylinder 211 to permit reversible delivery of pressure fluid to and exhaustion of such fluid from opposite ends of said cylinder by any suitable fluid-control means (not shown) to actuate the piston 215 and, with it, the pick-up mechanism in either direction longitudinally of the latter.

A feature usable in either embodiment, but illustrated only in the second embodiment, is an adjusting arrangement for adjusting the tightness of sprocket chain 160. This arrangement comprises a sliding plate 248 on which one of the sprocket wheels 162 is mounted. The plate 248 is slidable longitudinally upon the torque member 20a, being held and guided thereon by straps 250. The latter are fastened by screws 252 to the upper face of the torque member, suitable spacing means being provided between the ends of said straps and the torque member to permit the plate 248 to slide freely.

Threaded studs 254 are partially threaded into the inner end of plate 248 and are locked to the latter by lock nuts 256. These studs protrude freely through bores in a cross plate 258 which is held by screws 260 to the top surface of the torque member 20a. Adjusting nuts 262, threaded on the studs 254 at opposite sides of the cross plate 258, permit the sliding plate 248 with sprocket wheel 162 to be adjusted longitudinally of the torque member to adjust the tightness of the sprocket chain and permit locking of such adjustment.

Except for the fluid-pressure shifting of the pick-up mechanism longitudinally, the second embodiment is utilized by an operator in substantially the same way as the first embodiment.

It will be readily understood that all the illustrated and/or described differences between the two embodiments are features which may be incorporated in either embodiment according to preference; also, that various other modifications may be utilized without, however, departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

We claim:

1. Mill roll pick-up and supporting apparatus comprising a pair of stationary bed assemblies spaced in fixed relation to each other, a pair of rigidly interconnected bearing blocks supported on said bed assemblies for shifting horizontally of the latter, a rigid, elongate torque member supported horizontally on said bearing blocks for best shown in FIG. 9,

limited rotation about said members longitudinal axis, a pair of mill-roll holding arms on said member and constrained to turn therewith for engaging and raising a mill roll, and positioning means, operative between said bed assemblies and said bearing blocks, for shifting said blocks, said torque member and said arms in unison, in horizontal directions relatively to said bed assemblies; one of said bed assemblies comprising a stationary bed portion, anti-friction bearings supported on said bed portion in a horizontal plane, and a floating plate supported on said bearings and movable horizontally upon the latter, and one of said bearing blocks being supported upon said plate.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, said bed portion having an integral extension slidably overlying a portion of said one of the bearing blocks for holding the latter down upon said floating plate.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, said bearings being roller bearings arranged with their axes in parallelism and extending transversely of said torque member to permit anti-frictional, longitudinal movement of the latter relatively to said one bed assembly, and one of the bearing blocks which is supported on said one bed assembly being slidable transversely of said torque member upon said floating plate.

4. Mill roll pick-up and supporting apparatus comprising a stationary, flat plate bed structure; an elongate stand slidably supported for horizontal sliding upon said bed structure and comprising a pair of spaced, integrally and rigidly interconnected bearing blocks; an elongate torque member, rotatably supported, at its opposite ends, upon said bearing blocks; a pair of opposed mill-roll holding arms carried by and constrained to turn with said torque member and adapted to slide longitudinally of the latter; means coacting between said arms for limiting relative movement of the latter to equal, simultaneous, opposite movements along said torque member; said stand being slidable horizontally upon said bed structure both longitudinally of the stand and angularly in relation to a point at one end of the stand; said apparatus further including positioning means operative between said bed structure and said stand, for shifting said stand in said longitudinal and angular directions.

'5. Apparatus according to claim 4, including a slot and pin connection between said bed structure and said stand, at one end of the latter; said connection including a slot extending longitudinally of said stand and a vertically extending pivot pin slidable in said slot, and the stand, at the other of its ends, being slidable upon said bed structure, whereby to permit sliding movement of said stand longitudinally and also angularly relatively to said pivot pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,134,043 Hoppe et al Oct. 25, '1938 2,405,637 Behrens Aug. 13, 1946 2,535,815 Seeger Dec. 26, 1950 2,73 8,935 Green Mar. 20, 1956 2,973,914 Beninger et a1 Mar. 7, 1961 

